UKTI North West are inviting UK Chemicals/Materials businesses with an interest in South Korea to join a market visit to Seoul in March 2012...

UKTI are pleased to announce a chemicals/materials-focussed trade mission to South Korea 10 - 16 March 2012.

This mission is open to all UK chemicals / materials companies offering UK origin (or high UK value-added) products or services.

With the EU South Korea Free Trade Agreement now in effect since 1 July 2011 the immediate zero rating of chemicals makes this the ideal time to push the UK competitive advantage over chemical suppliers from countries like Japan and the USA where no such agreement is in place.

Whilst open to all types of chemical companies, the team in South Korea wish to highlight the strong end-user industries such as electronics, automotive plus the government initiatives focussing on green build. This flier therefore asks for expressions of interest for any chemical / materials companies wishing to take part in specific in-country initiatives for Printed Electronics, Low Carbon Automotive and Sustainable Build. 

For those chemical companies also feeding into pharmaceutical we have asked for an expression of interest in a pharmaceutical-focussed initiative in South Korea with the option to travel to Japan the following week to take part in UKTI initiatives surrounding the pharmaceutical ingredients exhibition CPhI Japan in Tokyo http://www.cphijapan.com/ 21-23 March 2012 (details will follow).

Why South Korea?
Nestled between two great powers, Japan and China, South Korea remains off the radar to most UK companies, even though it is home to 50 million people generating a GNP of US$ 1 trillion – making it the world’s 12th largest economy and the 4th largest in Asia.

South Korea is also the latest country to agree a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Europe. This agreement, which took effect from July 2011, is the most comprehensive free trade deal ever negotiated by the EU eliminating duties on 98% of products.

Why Korean Chemical sector?

• Korea is the world’s 5th largest producer of ethylene with an annual production of 7.3million tonnes.
• The petrochemical industry accounts for approx. 5% of the country's total manufacturing industry with the speciality chemical industry accounting for 3%.
• Korea’s LCD and semiconductor industries, which have demands for chemicals, are ranked at the top level, brightening the prospect to attract foreign investment in the industry.

Registration of Interest:
To receive further information please complete the form attached and return it to Miho Hatakeyama by fax on 0161 875 2234 or by email to events@uktinorthwest.co.uk. For more information please contact Miho on 0161 875 2333.

koreachemicals_2012.pdf